To Arabians, he was a beloved figure, more at home sipping tea with
Bedouins in the desert than discussing policy in the corridors of
power. Diplomats were often surprised, one visitor recalled, when he
would engage them in talk about "the stars, hunting and spring rains,
topics that made his eyes brighten." He was a reluctant monarch who
ascended the throne to preserve family unity, and he eagerly delegated
authority to younger and more sophisticated members of the royal
family. When he died last week at the age of 69, Khalid...